Irish renewable energy summit 2018

Significant progress has been made in transforming Ireland’s economy from
one dominated by imported fossil fuels to a more indigenous, low carbon
economy. Increasing Ireland’s electricity supply from renewable sources, mostly
onshore wind, has been the major contributor to this transition. However, there
are particular challenges in decarbonising both the transport and heating
sectors and it is now looking probable that Ireland will not meet its 2020 targets
on RES-H and RES-T. In addition, the European Union’s Clean Energy Package
will drive the transition towards low carbon technologies post 2020. This will
further increase the drive towards low carbon forms of energy production and
there will be a review by the European Commission every two years post 2020
which will keep the focus on the progress of low carbon energy technologies.

A new wave of development

As we approach 2020 and beyond there will be increasing political pressure to ramp up
the amount of energy from renewable sources. This is reflected in current policy initiatives.
Renewable energy featured as a key element in Government’s Energy White paper. The
outworking of the White Paper will see a new support scheme for renewable energy and
a renewable heat incentive scheme (RHI). There will also be a renewed focus on
sustainable transport, which will include electric vehicles. Any increase in renewable
energy sources will come from a number of areas: wind onshore and offshore; solar;
renewable gas; bioenergy; marine; renewable technologies.

Meeting future targets will require collective action and delivery from a range of policy
areas. It will require action from across government, public sector agencies and the
energy industry. The result will be a second era of renewable energy development that
will take Ireland past the 2020 milestone. A lot of the focus will be on renewable heat
and transport, but electricity from renewable energy sources will remain central to the
transition to a low carbon economy, particularly if transport and heat see significant
electrification.

This year’s Irish Renewable Energy Summit comes at a pivotal time in the transition of
Ireland’s energy system towards a low carbon future and renewable energy source will
be the main driver of that transition.

Key themes

Plenary: Renewable energy in Ireland's energy transition

In the opening session of the summit, Irish Energy Minister Denis Naughten will set out his priorities for decarbonising the Irish economy. The session will look
at the bigger picture and explore where Ireland is in terms of delivering on its renewable energy ambitions in all areas: electricity, heat and transport. Jim
Gannon, CEO SEAI, will then look at the detail behind the deployment of renewable technologies across the electricity, heat and transport sectors. Professor
Brian Ó Gallachóir will set the scene for the day’s discussions by detailing where Ireland’s is in terms of actual renewable energy capacity installed and
where progress needs to be made. Visiting expert Walt Patterson from Chatham House think tank will give delegates an insight into the geopolitics of
renewable energy. There will also be contributions from leaders within the renewable energy sector who will outline how we can deliver the capacity on the
ground. This will include a presentation from John Reilly of Bord na Móna who are active in onshore wind, solar and biomass.

Renewable energy technologies and infrastructure

To date most of the renewable energy capacity has been delivered by onshore wind. This session will look at technologies, in addition to onshore wind, that will deliver the next phase of renewable capacity. Solar energy offers the most potential in terms of MW delivered in a short time horizon. Solar developer David Maguire will look at the potential for solar in Ireland. Eamonn Confrey from the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment will present on supporting renewable energy technologies. Neil Walker from Ibec will pose the question: Is our planning system fit for purpose? Marian Troy from SSE Ireland will look at offshore wind’s role in Ireland’s energy targets. The role of energy storage in markets will also be examined by Paul McCusker from Fluence Energy.

Session: Bioenergy and renewable heat

This session will focus on the specific sectors of bioenergy and renewable heat. Speakers include Ian Kilgallon from Gas Networks Ireland who will focus on renewable gas and Matthew Clancy, SEAI who will examine the outlook and challenges for renewable heat. Visiting speaker Catherine Bowyer from the Institute for European Environmental Policy will present on delivering environmentally sustainable bioenergy.

This is why you need to be at the Irish Renewable Energy Summit 2018

Who you can expect to meet:

The summit will be of interest to senior managers and decisionmakers
in the renewable energy sector. Delegates come from
right across the sector and the wider energy community with a
contingent from overseas. Delegates will include:

Chief Executives, directors and senior managers in the energy sector

Policy makers and regulators

Renewable energy developers

Engineering and technical consultants

Legal and financial advisors

Planning and environmental professionals

Equipment suppliers

Large energy users

Key themes covered:

Continued role for onshore wind;

Future potential of solar energy

The growing importance of bioenergy;

Financing low carbon technologies;

Renewables in energy markets;

The role of energy storage in facilitating renewables;

The potential for biogas in Ireland;

Benefits of attending:

Discuss the role of renewables in the energy transition

Hear directly from developers of renewable energy

Learn about innovative projects being implemented

Network with other professionals across the renewable energy sector

Networking

The summit is structured in such a way to
provide a high level of interaction
between speakers and delegates. There
will be plentiful opportunities for
questions as well as discussion in each
of the sessions. In the margins of the
event there will also be ample scope for
business development during the busy
networking breaks which take place in
our exhibition area.

Exhibition opportunities:

There are a limited number of opportunities to become involved with this conference as an exhibitor. This is an excellent way for organisations to showcase their expertise and raise their profile with a key audience of senior decision makers from across Ireland’s renewable energy sector. This interactive, multi-stream conference provides an excellent opportunity for making contacts and networking. For further information on how your organisation can benefit, contact Claire Speers on +353 (0)1 661 3755 or email claire.speers@energyireland.ie